Drumstick



March 30, 1965 A. c. CRISCUOLO 3,175,450

DRUMS'IICK Filed Sept. 12, 1962 INVE'NTOR. And/6W C, C'mscuoZ 0 1477' ORA/E Y5 United States Patent 3,175,450 DRUMSTICK Andrew C. Criscuolo, 24 11th St., Derby, Conn. Filed Sept. 12, 1962, Ser. No. 223,155 3 Claims. (Cl. 84-422) The present invention relates to a drumstick that is one unitary piece formed to provide a head portion for striking the drumhead and an elongate handle portion by which the operator holds the drumstick.

While it has heretofore been known to make drumsticks as a unitary piece they have generally been made of wood and have not been found completely satisfactory for numerous reasons. For example if the wood softens or chips then the sound of the stick is affected thereby rendering it non-acceptable. Also such known drumsticks have been subject to structural changes such as Warpage and/or moisture absorbency which affects their feel, resiliency which controls the action" or response, and the sound produced by the stick. In addition, it also has been found difficult to reproduce with accuracy a plurality of drumsticks which have the same weight and resiliency so that the sound and feel produced by each will be uniform.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a drumstick which obviates the above inherent disadvantages of unitary wooden drumsticks.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a drumstick which is more durable, having a longer useful life than the heretofore known wooden drumsticks and which also produces less wearing of the head of the drum.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a drumstick whose characteristics of feel, sound resiliency, size and weight may be altered to that desired and after the selection of these characteristics, drumsticks having the same characteristics may be uniformly reproduced.

In carrying out the present invention there is provided a drumstick of the above-type that is formed from a unitary piece of wood to have a striking head and an elongate substantially cylindrical handle portion extending therefrom. Instead of merely leaving the wood bare or applying a thin coating of wax or varnish, the wood insert, according to the present invention, is then completely covered so that there is no exposed wood, by a hardened layer of plastic material. The layer is of substantial thickness and is bonded to the wood to be a part thereof.

Preferably the plastic layer is of just hardened plastic material though if desired there may be incorporated therein various types of reinforcing material or plastic impregnated wood chips or fibers.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a drumstick according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a section on an enlarged scale taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a section similar to FIG. 2 of a further embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a section similar to FIG. 2 of another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawing, the drumstick of the present invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 and includes an insert 11. The insert 11 is formed of Wood to the shape shown to thereby provide a striking head 12 connected by a reduced diameter neck 13 to a flaring portion 14 that terminates in a substantially cylindrical handle portion 15.

In accordance with the present invention, the wooden insert 11 is completely covered by a layer 16 of hardened plastic material. As shown on the drawing, the layer 16 is of substantial thickness with the thickness being substantially constant throughout. The material is bonded to the exterior surface of the insert 11 to thereby conform to the shape of the insert and thus retains the shape of the portions 12, 13 and 14 of the insert so that the drumstick 10 has substantially the same contour as the insert 11.

With respect to the wood insert, it will be appreciated that the insert 11 may be made from any kind of wood, provided it has sufiicient strength and rigidity. Thus by changing the kind of wood from which the insert is made, it is possible to alter the weight, sound and response characteristics of the drumstick without changing its shape. Moreover, by simply altering the thickness of the layer 15, it is also possible to obtain changes in the weight, sound and response characteristics of the drumstick and thus permit the attaining of the desired quality of each of these characteristics.

While the layer 15 may be made of just hardened plastic material, it is also within the scope of the present invention to provide additives in the plastic material which will reinforce the layer and/or to add plastic impregnated wood chips 17, such as shown in the FIG. 3 embodiment of the present invention, or wood fibers 18, such as shown in the FIG. 4 embodiment of the present invention, and which constitute a filling material.

It will be understood that after the insert and the thickness and material of the layer have been selected to produce the wanted characteristics that they may be easily and effectively duplicated to thereby produce drumsticks which have the same characteristics.

It will accordingly be appreciated that there has been disclosed a drumstick made from a wood insert which is completely covered by a substantially thick layer of plastic material. The drumstick of the present invention enables the desired qualities of weight, sound and response to be achieved by varying the type of wood used in the insert and/or by changing the thickness of the plastic layer. Such a drumstick is substantially durable having a long life and retaining its same selected characteristics throughout. Moreover, by the use of the plastic layer there is less harm to a drumhead than that caused by heretofore known wooden drumsticks.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. A drumstick comprising an elongate wooden insert formed to provide a striking head, a reduced diameter neck intermediate the head and a flaring portion and an elongate handle portion connected to the flaring portion and a layer of hardened plastic material completely c0vering said insert and being secured thereto, said layer having a substantially uniform thickness throughout and forming a substantially thick layer.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 in which there are reinforcing elements in the plastic layer.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 in which there are plastic impregnated small wooden pieces in the plastic layer.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,484,777 2/24 Hassenpflug 84-422 4 OTHER REFERENCES Music Trades Publication New Plastic Drumsticks, p. 70, July 1959.

Rogers, Inc. Catalog Weather King Drumsticks, page 5 62, April 1963.

LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner.

LEYLAND M. MARTIN, Examiner. 

1. A DRUMSTICK COMPRISING AN ELONGATE WOODEN INSERT FORMED TO PROVIDE A STRIKING HEAD, A REDUCED DIAMETER NECK INTERMEDIATE THE HEAD AND A FLARING PORTION AND AN ELONGATE HANDLE PORTION CONNECTED TO THE FLARING PORTION AND A LAYER OF HARDENED PLASTIC MATERIAL COMPLETELY COVERING SAID INSERT AND BEING SECURED THERETO, SAID LAYER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM THICKNESS THROUGHOUT AND FORMING A SUBSTANTIALLY THICK LAYER. 